Improvement in self-operating switches



A.BQU6HABD.

v Self-Operating Switches. No. 141,537.- PatentedAugust5J873.

WITNESSES. ENIQIL UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

ADOLPH BQUOHARD, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SELF-OPERATING SWITCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,537, dated August 5, 1873; application filed April 5, 1873.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ADOLPH BOUOHARD, of the city of New Orleans, parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have made certain Improvements in Railroad Switches; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying illustrative drawing constituting a part of this specification.

My improvement relates to a simple, efficient, and novel mode of operating the switches of street railroads or tram-ways without the necessity of employing for this purpose switchtenders. Myimprovement consists in attaching to the under side of the car a simple device, which, as thecar moves forward, engages a triangular bar of iron connected with the tongue of the switch, and moves the same in any direction desired.

My improvement will, however, be more readily understood by reference to the drawing, whereon are shown a platform-car and a section of a street railroad.

Upon the drawing, A may be supposed to be the platform of a street-car; B, the rails of a street railroad proceeding in a direct line, while 0 are the rails of another road branching from the road indicated by the said rails B. D is the tongue of the switch, to which is attached the metal triangular bar E. To the under side of the platform A, both in front and'in the rear, are secured the metal inverted T-pieces F and G, the heads of which are placed at an angle with the line of the track.

The said switch is shown upon the tram-way as having been opened by the T-piece F attached to the forward part of the car, so that the car may proceed directly forward until the wheels thereof have passed the same, whereupon the metal inverted T-piece G will strike against the said bar E connected with the said switch-tongue D, and move the same so that the succeeding car may go upon the rails O of the branch road. In returning, the same operation is performedthat is, the switch is always left open for the car which is to travel upon the branch track.

Having described my invention and its mode of operation sufficiently to make the same clearly understood by any intelligent engineer familiar with railroads, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following:

The T-shaped arms F and G rigidly secured v to the front and rear platforms of the car at angles to the line of motion, in combination with the movable frog-point, so that the switch may be opened for the passage of the car and automatically replaced after said passage, substantially in the manner specified.

A. BOUCHARD. Witnesses:

H. N. JENKINS, L. I. OLMSTEAD. 

